1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a waste toner collecting device, more particularly, to a waste toner collecting device that collects waste toner generated in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and transfers the collected waste toner to a predetermined location.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a printer or a copier that uses electrophotography, as illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a photosensitive body 30 on which a toner image is formed, a cleaning blade (not shown) which removes waste toner remaining after the toner image is transferred onto paper or to an intermediate transfer body from the photosensitive body 30, and a waste toner collecting device 10 which receives the waste toner removed by the cleaning blade and transfers the received waste toner to a waste toner collection tank 20.
FIG. 2 shows a conventional waste toner collecting device 10. The conventional waste toner collecting device includes a housing 11 in which waste toner separated from a photosensitive body (not shown) is temporarily held, an auger 12 which rotates in the housing 11 and transfers the waste toner collected in the housing 11 to one end of the housing 11, an exhaust guide member 13 installed to an end of the auger 12, which includes an exhaust hole 13a through which the waste toner transferred by rotation of the auger 12 is exhausted, a shutter 15 rotatably installed in the exhaust guide member 13 to open the exhaust hole 13a, and a torsion spring 14 which provides elastic force in the direction the shutter 15 closes the exhaust hole 13a. An interference piece 15a of the shutter 15 collides with a jaw 16 installed on a printer frame 17 when the waste toner collecting device descends towards an inlet 21 of the waste toner collection tank 20.
Thus, the waste toner removed from the photosensitive body by a cleaning unit, such as the cleaning blade, drops into the housing 11 and is transferred to the exhaust hole 13a of the exhaust guide member 13 by rotation of the auger 12. Accordingly, when the waste toner collecting device 10 descends towards the inlet 21 of the waste toner collection tank 20, the interference piece 15a comes in contact with the jaw 16, and the shutter 15 opens as shown in FIG. 3, so that the waste toner is exhausted to the waste toner collection tank 20 through the exhaust hole 13a. On the contrary, when the waste toner collecting device 10 ascends away from the inlet 21 as shown in FIG. 4, there is no interference between the interference piece 15a and the jaw 16, and the shutter 15 closes due to restoration force generated via the torsion spring 14.
However, according to the conventional waste toner collecting device having the above structure, the exhaust hole 13a comes in contact with the inlet 21 of the waste toner collection tank 20 after the shutter 15 has completely been opened. Thus, the waste toner may splatter out before the exhaust hole 13a comes in contact with the inlet 21 of the waste toner collection tank 20. For example, when the waste toner collecting device 10 descends and the interference piece 15a comes in contact with the jaw 16 and the shutter 15 opens, the waste toner pours out through the exhaust hole 13a. However, in this case, the exhaust hole 13a is not in complete contact with the inlet 21 of the waste toner collection tank 20 because the exhaust hole 13a is spaced by a predetermined gap from the inlet 21 of the waste toner collection tank 20, and thus, the waste toner may splatter through the gap between the exhaust hole 13a and the inlet 21 of the waste toner collection tank 20. Similarly, when the waste toner collecting device 10 ascends, a gap between the exhaust hole 13a and the waste toner collection tank 20 is formed before the shutter 15 completely closes, and thus, the same problem occurs. Accordingly, when the waste toner splatters out, peripheral devices may be greatly contaminated. Thus, counter measures thereof are needed.